Salone returns in Milan

Salone del Mobile opens in Milan on April 21 with more than 1,900 exhibitors, bringing the furniture industry’s biggest trade fair back to Rho through April 26. (salonemilano.it) The 64th edition runs across more than 169,000 square metres at Fiera Milano Rho, with trade access from April 21 and public entry on April 25 and 26. (salonemilano.it) This year restores two biennial sections that skip alternate editions: EuroCucina with FTK – Technology For the Kitchen, with 106 brands from 17 countries, and the International Bathroom Exhibition, with 163 brands from 14 countries. (salonemilano.it) The fair’s 2026 campaign, “A Matter of Salone,” puts materials at the center, and the organizers say the program gives “ample space” to sustainability alongside installations and talks curated by Annalisa Rosso. (salonemilano.it; salonemilano.it) Salone is also using this edition to test a bigger commercial push. Organizers said Salone Contract will formally debut in 2027, with a masterplan by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten of OMA focused on hospitality, visitor experience and business-to-business networking. (salonemilano.it; salonemilano.it) Around the fairgrounds, Milan Design Week runs April 20 to 26 with installations spread across Brera, Tortona, Porta Venezia, 5Vie and other districts, turning the trade show into a citywide program. (milanoandpartners.com) Milano & Partners says Brera alone has 300 events this year, while large installations and open studios are clustered in hubs including BASE, Superstudio and Opificio 31. (milanoandpartners.com) Brands and hotels are using that traffic to stage their own design-week attractions. Oggi reported on April 19 that the Hotel Principe di Savoia has opened a Barbie-themed “total pink” suite, room 306, available by appointment during Design Week. (oggi.it) SaloneSatellite, the fair’s section for emerging designers, adds 700 designers under 35 and 23 international schools and universities to the program. (salonemilano.it) By Sunday evening, the fair will have done what Salone does every April: combine a trade show founded in 1961 with a week when Milan’s showrooms, hotels and neighborhoods all try to become part of the exhibition. (salonemilano.it; milanoandpartners.com)